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On summer weekends there is the Kwakoe Afro-Caribbean festival, which makes Notting Hill look like a family picnic. Football, food and kaseko and no multicultural pretensions.

When you get really hot and even the ginger beer doesn't work, take a dive in the sparkling clear waters of the Gaasperplas.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18156 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18155 Friday: Amsterdamse Poort
Saturday: Ganzenhoef]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18155 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12284 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12284 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4708 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4708 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3833
For a different view of Amsterdam, walk out the back of the central station to the ferries. Take the one of the boats labelled Amsterdam North (free) and you will end up in the northern part of the city. Take the footpath to the right and after five minutes you'll see a bar/restaurant called the Wilhelminadok. From here there’s a fantastic view of the old city and when it's sunny you can sit on a huge terrace floating on the water.

Alternatively you can go out the back of the central station and to the right (along the waterfront) for about 10 minutes until you reach the new concert hall, Muziekgebouw aan het IJ, which also has a fantastic view of the city and the river.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3833 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4458 It is a restaurant/bar/club which offers fantastic views of the city and the IJ river/port.

The food is reasonably priced for the standard you get. It’s a great club for dancing afterwards with a relaxed atmosphere.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4458 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4402
It’s more or less the same story with the music: its trendiness is not always a guarantor of reliability, but what do you expect? I got a good dose of spiky 70s/80s-influenced dance music both times. It may be boring to you, but it is a welcome variety in a city obsessed with trance and DJs who advertise themselves as the "#3 DJ in the world".

However, it's difficult for the food or music to compete with the visual: a panoramic view of Amsterdam (yes, you can be snarky about the fact that on the 11th floor you tower over everything in Amsterdam), combined with projections all around the room.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4402